The European Court of Justice has ruled in favor of Intel, overturning a $1.14 billion antitrust fine imposed by the European Union. This decision comes after nearly two decades of legal battles between the American chipmaker and EU regulators.
Initially, the EU had levied the fine against Intel based on antitrust charges, accusing the company of offering illegal incentives to computer manufacturers. However, the court concluded that the EU lacked sufficient evidence to support these claims, leading to the dismissal of the lower court's ruling against Intel (INTC, Financial).
Although this is a significant legal victory for Intel, the company still faces ongoing legal challenges. Last year, the EU imposed a new fine of €376.36 million on Intel concerning similar antitrust issues. Intel is appealing this decision and also plans to seek interest on the initially imposed fine from the EU Commission.
This recent judgment aligns with a 2021 ruling, where the European Court found the EU's accusations against Intel to be unsupported. Previously, in a 2009 investigation, the EU alleged that Intel offered rebates to PC manufacturers from 2002 to 2005, conditional on purchasing at least 95% of their chips from Intel, thus limiting AMD's market competitiveness.
Despite its legal success, Intel faces technological and operational challenges in Europe, further impacted by its decision to delay the construction of a factory in Germany that was expected to receive substantial state subsidies.
